A YuGiOh! Christmas Carol
by Gema J. Gall
Summary: FINISHED The YuGiOh! cast is in the Charles Dickens classic!
1. Marik Marley

Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction  
  
A Yu-Gi-Oh! Christmas Carol  
  
By: Gema J. Gall  
  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is owned by Kazuki Takahashi. I case you  
haven't figure it out yet, that is not me! A Christmas Carol is the  
work of Charles Dickens, not Gema J. Gall. I also don't own Drake or  
Lara, they belong to E-100 Alpha. His Fellowship of Dragoon is  
AWESOME! Read it! Shayla and Martin are my original characters.  
  
Gema J. Gall: I was not drinking eggnog when I wrote this! Why do you  
even think such a thing? I was not drinking eggnog! I don't even  
like eggnog! Quit giving me those weird looks!  
  
Shayla: It wasn't the eggnog. It was the double hot chocolate with  
marshmallows, whipped cream, cinnamon, and candy cane.  
  
Martin: And she didn't even share!  
  
Seto: That isn't our problem! Did you see the title for this story?!  
  
Joe: Oh, no!  
  
Tristan: And she is sugar high!  
  
Gema J. Gall: I am NOT! Why does everyone keep saying that? I am not  
hyper! I am not sugar high! I got this idea while sitting under the  
Christmas tree on Christmas day. I was NOT drinking the eggnog!  
  
Drake: At least we are safe, Lara.  
  
Lara: Thank the Lord!  
  
Tristan: I don't think so. Did you read the disclaimer. *Lara and  
Drake sweat-drop.*  
  
Drake: RUN! *Drake and Lara flee,*  
  
E-100 Alpha: I blame the penguins. Where is POF?  
  
Gema J. Gall: They ran when they saw me with the hot cocoa! *Laughs  
evilly.*  
  
Tea: Now, I am afraid.  
  
Yu-Gi: It won't be that bad. Will it?  
  
Gema J. Gall: No, TINY TIM! *More evil laughter.*  
  
Yu-Gi: Let's get out of here!  
  
Joe: I am with you! *Yu-Gi and Joe run away.*  
  
Seto: *As he read the script* How dare you?! You made me.....  
*Trails of as Gema rams a marshmallow down his throat.*  
  
Gema J. Gall: Don't spoil it! *Enter Marik, Shadi, and Isis.*  
  
Isis: She actually put us in this thing!  
  
Shadi: Even Fox Kids doesn't give us this air time.  
  
Marik: You make it seem like that is a bad thing.  
  
Isis: I foresee trouble if we stick around here. We must leave. *They  
exit.*  
  
E-100 Alpha: That was weird.....  
  
Seto: *grumble* You even put Pegasus in this!  
  
Pegasus: *as he races on stage* What?!  
  
Gema J. Gall: You are spoiling this! *Pushes Seto Kaiba and Pegasus  
off stage.*  
  
Mai: How dare you hook me up with that..... *Has a marshmallow shoved  
down her throat from almost giving away part of the plot.*  
  
Gema J. Gall: You KNOW you like him! Don't say you don't! Consider  
me doing you a favor!  
  
Mai: *to Tea and Shayla* Let's get out of here. We can have a girls  
day at the mall or something.  
  
Tea: It has to be better than waiting for that sugar high author to  
decide our fate.  
  
Shayla: I agree *They exit*  
  
Martin: Even I got a part!  
  
Mokuba: So did I.  
  
Martin: Why so sad?  
  
Mokuba: Because she gave me a WIFE!  
  
All: What?  
  
Gema J. Gall: SHHH! She is our guest star!  
  
Tristan: Great! We'd better get out of here! Don't you get it! This  
hyper maniac had  
control of us for the rest of this story unless we run! *Martin,  
Mokuba, and Tristan run. *Enter Bakura)  
  
Bakura: I just got here, what did I miss.  
  
E-100 Alpha: Gema started a new fic. You'd better run!  
  
Gema J. Gall: Why is everyone running? And quit looking at me like  
that! I am not hyper! I only had three double hot cocoas! I am not  
hyper!  
  
Bakura: I am out of here! *He runs*  
  
E-100 Alpha: *Looks around* Everyone ran.  
  
Gema J. Gall: They cannot escape from me! I have the keyboard!  
*Lots of evil laughter.* I need some more hot cocoa!  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Marik Marley was dead, to begin with. There can be no doubt when that  
is said. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman,  
clerk, the under taker, and the chief mourner. Seto Scrooge signed  
it.  
  
(Marik: Great! The story hasn't even started and she killed me!)  
  
(Seto: Care to trade parts? She made me Scrooge! *Evil laughter heard  
from a distance.*)  
  
Marik Marley was as dead as a doornail.  
  
(Gema J. Gall: How can a doornail be dead? It is an inanimate  
object! Dead as a coffin nail sounds better, anyways. Yippee! More  
hot cocoa!)  
  
Let me repeat, Marik Marley was as dead as a coffin nail. Seto  
Scrooge knew he was dead, too. Of course he did. How could he not?  
Scrooge and Marley were business partners for who knows how many years  
before that. Seto was his sole executor, sole administrator, sole  
assign, sole residuary legatee, sole friend, and sole mourner. Even  
though Scrooge was disturbed by the passing of his friend, after the  
funeral he went right back to work and buried the incident in his  
mind.  
  
The funeral brings us back to wear we started. Marik Marley is dead.  
There is no doubt of that. There cannot be any doubt for any thing  
wonderful to come of this story. Marik Marley is dead, do not think  
otherwise. He has to be dead for this story to have an supernatural  
meaning.  
  
(Scene begins with Seto Scrooge walking through 18th century English  
streets. It is snowing and Christmas Eve. Narration continues.)  
  
Seto Scrooge never painted Marik Marley's name out of the counting  
house sign. It stood, years afterwards and read Scrooge and Marley.  
The firm was know as Scrooge and Marley. People called Seto Scrooge  
Marley occasional, and he responded. It was all the same to him.  
  
He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone. Seto, a squeezing,  
wrenching, grasping, scraping, covetous old sinner. Hard and sharp as  
flint, from which no steel had ever struck a generous fire. He was a  
secret, self contained, solitary oyster. The cold within him froze  
his features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened  
his gait, made his eyes red, his lips thin and blue, and caused him to  
speak in a shrew, grating voice. A frosty rim coated his head,  
eyebrows, and wiry chin. He always carried this low temperature with  
him, into his icy office. And it didn't thaw one degree on Christmas!  
  
(Seto: I am NOT like that! I am getting my lawyers!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: No you aren't. I control the keyboard! *Evil  
laughter*)  
  
(Seto: I thought you said I was your favorite character!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: You are, and you are the perfect Scrooge! Work with  
me, I have A  
Christmas Carol open beside me. I am writing like Charles Dickens!  
Yippee! More hot cocoa!)  
  
External heat and cold had little influence on Seto Scrooge. No  
warmth could warm him, no wintry weather could chill him. No bitter  
wind was bitterer than he. No foul weather was fouler than he. The  
heaviest rain, snow, hail, and sleet had only one advantage over him,  
and that was how they looked when they fell down.  
  
Nobody ever stopped on the street to greet him. No beggars asked him  
for spare change. No children asked him the time. No man or woman  
ever asked him how he was doing. Even the dogs seemed to know him,  
and coward.  
  
(Seto: You are going to PAY for this, Gema! *Gema smiles and holds  
her cup of hot cocoa.*)  
  
But did Seto Scrooge care? This was the way he liked it. He like the  
way the crowds parted as he slunk through. He liked all sympathy to  
keep its distance. He could care less for the disdainful glances that  
were shot behind his back.  
  
It was Christmas Eve and Seto Scrooge sat in his counting house. The  
weather was cold, bleak, biting, and foggy withal. Seto could hear  
the people outside trying to clap their hands, stop their feet, and  
blow on their fingers to keep warm. It was already dark out, even  
thought it was not yet three in the afternoon. It had been dark all  
day. Candles flickered in windows and smoke curled out of chimneys.  
Fog laced the streets, threatening to creep in through keyholes,  
chinks, and gutters.  
  
The door of Scrooge's office was open. He did this so he might keep  
an eye on his clerk, Joe Cratchit. Joe Cratchit was in a dingy  
cubicle just out side of the office door. Seto Scrooge had a very  
small fire in his office. But Joe's fire was so small one would think  
it was a single coal glowing hotly. Joe desperately wanted the  
warmth, but Scrooge kept the coal in his office, under lock and key.  
Cratchit pulled his comforter closer and tried to  
warm his hands on the single candle he had for light.  
  
(Joe: You did WHAT to me!?)  
  
(Seto: Join the party. *Gema smiles innocently.*)  
  
(Joe: I am going to get you for this!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: Nope! I have the keyboard and hot cocoa! *Smiles  
sweetly but laughs  
evilly.*)  
  
"Merry Christmas, uncle!" the door of the counting house opening,  
bringing tin the cold winter weather. But the weather was probably  
warmer than the counting house. The speaker was, obviously, Scrooge's  
nephew, Mokuba.  
  
"Bah!" snapped Seto Scrooge. "Humbug!"  
  
(Seto: NO! Mokuba! She got you, too!)  
  
(Mokuba: Help! She is sugar high!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: But he makes such a cute nephew!)  
  
(Joe: *to E-100 Alpha* You are the only one of us she doesn't have  
plans for. HELP!)  
  
(E-100 Alpha: I would, but she is liable to kill me.)  
  
(Joe: At least take away her hot cocoa!)  
  
(E-100 Alpha: I may have a better idea....)  
  
Mokuba entered and walked briskly up to his brother's ....err....  
uncle's desk. Snowflakes fell to the floor as he walked. His eyes  
show brightly, his face glowed. The cold had only made his cheeks a  
brighter red color.  
  
"Christmas, a humbug, uncle?" said Mokuba. "You don't mean it!"  
  
"I do," snapped Seto Scrooge. "Merry Christmas!" He spat. "What  
reason do you have to  
be merry? You are poor enough!"  
  
"What right do you have to be angry?" his nephew, Mokuba, countered.  
"You're rich enough!"  
  
"Bah!" Scrooge repeated. "Humbug!"  
  
"Don't be mad," said Mokuba.  
  
"What else can I be?" retorted Seto. "I live in a world full of  
fools! Merry Christmas, indeed! Screw Christmas! What is Christmas,  
but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself  
a year older, and not an hour richer; a time for relatives to pester  
you again?! If I had it my way, every idiot who ever said 'Merry  
Christmas' would be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a  
stake of holly through his heart!"  
  
"Uncle!" cried Mokuba.  
  
(Seto: Gema, You are in so much trouble! You are making me be mean to  
Mokuba!)  
  
"Nephew!" snapped Seto Scrooge before his nephew could plead with him.  
"Keep  
Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine!"  
  
"Keep it!" protested Mokuba. "But you don't keep it at all!"  
  
"Then, let me leave it alone!" snapped Scrooge. "Much good it will  
ever do you! Much good it has ever done you!"  
  
"There are many good things I have done, which have no profited me  
any," admitted Mokuba. "Christmas is one of them. But Christmas time  
is sacred. It is a time for kindness, forgiving, charity,  
pleasantries.... It is the only time I know of in the entire year,  
when men and women open their shut up hearts freely, and think of  
others as their equals. Therefore, uncle, though it has never put a  
scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe it has done me good,  
and will continue to do me good! And I say God bless it!"  
  
(Mokuba: I don't even know what I just said!)  
  
Joe Cratchit began to applaud the noble speech. But Seto Scrooge  
glared him down. Joe ducked away and began to poke at his fire. With  
a spark it went out forever.  
  
"If I hear another sound from you," Seto snapped at the clerk.  
"You'll keep Christmas by losing your job!" He turned to his nephew.  
"You are quite the powerful speaker. Why don't you go into politics?"  
  
"Don't be angry, Seto," pleaded Mokuba. "Come, dine with us  
tomorrow!"  
  
"Bah! Humbug!"  
  
"But why not?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"Why did you get married?" asked Scrooge.  
  
"Because I fell in love," replied Mokuba.  
  
(Mokuba: GEMA YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: *Smiles sweetly while holding her hot cocoa.* Don't  
you like your wife, Mokuba? *Laughs evilly*)  
  
(Seto: Someone, help!)  
  
(Joe: Please, I am freezing, here!)  
  
"Because you fell in love!" snapped Seto Scrooge. "There is only one  
thing in this world worse than Christmas, and that is love! Good  
afternoon!"  
  
"But, Uncle Seto," protested Mokuba. "You never came to see me when I  
was single, what excuse is marriage now?"  
  
"Good afternoon!" repeated Scrooge. His response was as cold as his  
heart.  
  
"I want nothing from you. I ask nothing from you," pleaded Mokuba.  
"Why can't we be friends?"  
  
"Good afternoon!" snapped Seto, glaring at his nephew.  
  
"I am sorry," said Mokuba, "With all my heart, to find you so  
resolute. We have never fought with each other. But I honor  
Christmas, and will continue to do so. So, Merry  
Christmas, uncle!"  
  
"Good afternoon!" Scrooge said through gritted teeth.  
  
"And a Happy New Year!" said Mokuba cheerfully as he opened the door,  
letting in the winter drafts.  
  
"Good afternoon!" snapped Seto. "And bah, humbug!"  
Mokuba left, not the least bit fazed by the icy attitude of his uncle.  
He paused a moment to wish Joe Cratchit a Merry Christmas. Joe  
responded happily, despite his boss's glare.  
  
(Joe: Wait! Since when was Kaiba my boss?!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: As of now. *Smiles and puts another marshmallow in her  
hot cocoa.*)  
  
"There's another one," muttered Seto, bitterly. "My clerk, for a  
dollar fifty a week, with a wife and family, talking about 'Merry  
Christmas.' I am going insane!" Mokuba has just left. But through  
the door he exited, two other gentlemen entered.  
  
(Seto: Great, more victims.....)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: I know! Ain't it great!)  
  
They were pleasant looking enough. Each wearing identical coats, and  
holding their hats in their hands.  
  
"Scrooge and Marley's, I believe," said Bakura, as he looked at the  
list in his hand. He looked up. "Do I have the pleasure of  
addressing Mr. Scrooge or Mr. Marley?"  
  
"Marik Marley has been dead for seven years," shot Seto Scrooge.  
"Seven years ago, this very night."  
  
"Then we have the honor of addressing his surviving partner, Mr.  
Scrooge," smiled Shadi.  
  
(Shadi: I think we got off easy.)  
  
(Bakura: At least I don't have to deal with a psychotic yami.)  
  
Scrooge frowned when he heard the introduction.  
  
"At this festive time of year, Mr. Scrooge," continued Bakura,  
oblivious to the glare Seto  
Scrooge was giving him. "it is desirable that we should take a slight  
provision for the  
poor and destitute, who are suffering greatly."  
  
"Many," continued Shadi. "No, thousands, are in need of common  
necessities common  
comforts."  
  
"Are there no prisons?" asked Seto.  
  
"Plenty of prisons," replied Bakura, a tad confused.  
  
"And the Union work houses, are they still in operation?"  
  
"They are, still," admitted Shadi, sadly. "I wish I could say they  
were not."  
  
"And the Treadmill and Poor Law are still in effect, correct?" asked  
Scrooge.  
  
"Both very busy, sir," answered Bakura.  
  
"Oh! I was afraid from what you first said, that something had  
happened to stop them  
from their useful course," said Scrooge with an evil smile. "I am very  
glad to hear it."  
  
"But these barely provide," Shadi pointed out. "They hardly provide  
the good Christian  
cheer for the multitude during this wonderful time of year. A few of  
us are trying to raise  
money to provide some food, drink, and warmth for those in need.  
During this time of  
all, because want is so deeply felt and abundance rejoices. How much  
can I put you down  
for?"  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
"You wish to be left anonymous?" asked Bakura.  
  
"I wish to be left alone!" snapped Seto Scrooge. "Since, you asked me  
what I wish,  
gentlemen, that is my answer. I don't celebrate Christmas, and I  
cannot afford to make  
idle people merry at Christmas. I help support, with my taxes, the  
aforementioned  
establishments, they cost enough. Those who are badly off must go  
there."  
  
"Many cannot go there," said Shadi. "And many would rather die."  
  
"If they would rather die," retorted Scrooge, heartlessly. "Then they  
had better do it, and  
decrease the surplus population! That is not my business!"  
  
(Seto: You are making me seem like a heartless creep!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: Just wait until the story ends!)  
  
"But-" protested Bakura.  
  
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," snapped Scrooge. Shadi and Bakura saw  
that it was  
useless to argue with him any further, so they left. Seto went back  
to his work, more  
feverishly than ever.  
  
The day had grown darker still, and people were seldom seen on the  
streets. A mournful  
church bell rang. This seemed to Joe Cratchit to exemplify the day  
with his boss. The  
wind picked up. A few homeless people huddle closer to their trash  
can fire for warmth.  
But from the penthouses to the ghetto, not a single person stirred  
from their homes.  
  
In these conditions on lone caroler tried to earn a few pennies for  
his family. His clothing  
was threadbare and patched, but his voice was full of Christmas cheer.  
His voice filled  
the streets. His only mistake was standing outside of Scrooge and  
Marley's.  
  
"Good rest you, merry gentlemen," sang Martin. "may nothing you  
dismay!"  
  
(Martin: She has me singing?!)  
  
(Joe: This has gone too far! *Gema laughs evilly.*)  
  
Seto Scrooge grabbed the nearest thing, a paper weight and stormed to  
the door. He  
threw it opened and prepared to deck the caroler with it. Martin saw  
this and fled in fear.  
Joe Cratchit gaped at the new low of his employer.  
  
It finally came time for closing. Seto begrudgingly allowed Joe to  
leave. Joe eagerly blew  
out his candle and threw on his coat.  
  
"I suppose you'll be wanting tomorrow off," said Scrooge, his voice  
like ice.  
  
"If it is convenient, sir," said Joe.  
  
(Joe: Wait a minute! You have me calling Kaiba, 'sir' now.)  
  
(Seto: At least one thing is going good now.)  
  
"No, it isn't," snapped Seto. "And it isn't fair. And I suppose if I  
didn't pay you, you  
would think it unfair, right?" Joe just smiled. "And yet, I am  
supposed to think it fair  
when I pay you a day's wages for no work!"  
  
"But it is only once a year," protested Joe.  
  
"A poor excuse for picking a business's man's pocket every twenty-  
fifth of December,"  
shot Scrooge. "Take the whole day! But be here earlier the next!"  
  
"Thank you, sir!" smiled Joe Cratchit. "And a Merry Christmas to  
you!" Joe raced out  
before his boss could yell.  
  
"Bah, humbug," muttered Seto as he put on his coat. He walked through  
the dismay  
streets to his home.  
  
The building he resided in had once belonged to Marik Marley. The  
rooms were gloomy,  
and the entire building was decrepit. Scrooge was the only one who  
lived there, save for  
the rooms he rented out to be used as offices. The yard was so dark  
that even Scrooge, who knew it like the back of his hand, was forced  
to grope his way to the door. The building was covered with frost,  
snow, and fog, making it seem unreal, or even surreal. The weather  
added to its mournful appearance.  
  
Seto Scrooge approached the door. The door had only on fancy thing  
about it, and that was the large brass knocker. Seto had seen in  
hundreds of times in his passing through the door, and had though  
nothing of the knocker. Just a reminder, Marley is dead, and Scrooge  
had not thought about him since the charity workers mentioned him,  
earlier today.  
  
When Seto Scrooge went to put his key into the keyhole, he happened to  
glance at this knocker. And what he saw made him gasp. Instead of  
the knocker he saw Marik Marley's face! Scrooge clearly saw this,  
despite the darkness of the yard. The face was not angry or fierce.  
It was the face the Seto had worked with so many years before. The  
hair was still in the cold winter wind. They eyes were wide open, and  
unblinking. It was pale, making the face horrible and ghastly. But  
the horror did not lay in the face itself, but what it represented.  
  
As Seto Scrooge stared at it, it became the brass knocker again.  
  
(Marik: Great! Not only am I dead, but I become an inanimate object!  
Someone stop this  
girl!)  
  
It would be a lie to say that Scrooge was not startled and disturbed  
by this. His blood had  
ran colder than it already was. But Scrooge proceeded to open the  
door and enter. He shut the door behind him and lit a candle.  
  
Seto turned and paused for a moment, looking at the back of the door.  
He, half-terrified, has expected to see Marik's pigtail on the  
backside of the door. But, there was nothing.  
  
(Marik: I DO NOT HAVE A PIGTAIL! GEMA! I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH  
YOU!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: Can we discuss this over hot cocoa?)  
  
"Bah, humbug!" spat Seto. And echoed resounded through the entire  
house, but Scrooge paid it no mind. He was not one to be startled by  
noises. The apparition had only shaken him slightly. Even when a  
strange wind raced down the long staircase and blew out his only  
candle, Scrooge did not jump. The wind sounded like a train, but the  
heartless miser was not intimidated.  
  
Scrooge did not care that it was dark. He liked the dark, because it  
was cheap. But as he shut the door to his chamber, he examined every  
corner, just to make sure. Everything was as it should be. No one  
was under the table, or the sofa. The cold fireplace with his  
leftover gruel remained as he had left it that morning. No one was  
under the bed, or in the closet. His bathrobe hung where he left it.  
His slippers had not been disturbed. Everything was in its place.  
  
(Seto: GRUEL! I don't believe it! *Begins to sputter in rage.*)  
  
(Gema: Think of it as oatmeal.)  
  
Satisfied, he closed the door. Then he proceeded to double lock it.  
Only then did Seto Scrooge feel safe enough to settle down for the  
night. Once he was comfortable in his bathrobe, he sat down for his  
meager meal of day old gruel.  
  
Seto started a small fire. It was so small, that he had to huddle  
close to it, lean over it, to feel any warmth whatsoever. Several  
pictures hung above the mantel. In Scrooge's half conscious mind  
every one began to resemble Marik. Seto shook his head.  
  
"Humbug!" he said. He walked across the room, then paced back.  
  
He leaned against the chair as he sat down again. A small bell on the  
mantel caught his eye. It was covered in cobwebs, and had not been  
used in so long its purpose had been forgotten. It was probably used  
to summon servants, but that is not what is important. This disused  
bell began to ring. Scrooge watched it with dread. It was quiet at  
first, but the bell rang louder and louder. Another bell, then  
another joined it. Soon, every bell in  
the house was ringing.  
  
This might have taken thirty seconds, but to Seto Scrooge it lasted an  
hour. The bells ceased together, leaving their morbid echo. They  
were succeeded by a low clanking noise, that came from somewhere deep  
in the house. It sounded like heavy chains being drug over concrete  
slabs. From some distant memory, Scrooge remembered ghosts were said  
to wear chains.  
  
The sound of the cellar doors opening was the next thing Seto heard.  
Then the chains came closer to him, going across the lower floors.  
Then the sound of chains being drug up the stairs reached his ears.  
  
"Humbug! I will not believe it!" snapped Seto as he sank lower into  
his chair.  
  
His face paled, however, when, without a pause, 'it' came straight  
through the heavy double locked doors of his chamber. When 'it'  
entered the fire shot up for a brief second, then went out. Seto was  
white with fright.  
  
The face of the apparition was the face on the knocker, Marik Marley.  
The ghost had his pigtail, waistcoat, pants, and boots. The only  
unusual thing about him was the chain that locked around his waist.  
The chain was long. It wound around him a few times before dangling  
behind him like a tail. Attached to the chain were cash-boxes, keys,  
padlocks, and heavy steel purses. His body was transparent. Scrooge  
could see his back buttons clearly.  
  
(Marik: Great! I am a transparent dead guy with shackles! Great! It  
doesn't get much better than this!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: I can make it better! *Mixes her hot cocoa with a  
candy cane.*)  
  
(All: NO!)  
  
(Seto: You have done enough!)  
  
Seto Scrooge had heard people say the Marley had no guts, but had  
never believed it until now. No, he didn't believe it, not even now.  
He triple checked the phantom standing before him. He felt the death  
cold eyes on him. But Seto fought his very sense.  
  
(Marik: Time out! Low blow! No fair!)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: Let the Millennial Scales decide what is fair.)  
  
(Seto: But Shayla isn't here.)  
  
(Gema: Exactly!)  
  
"What do you want with me?" asked Scrooge.  
  
"Much," answered the ghost.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Seto, nervously.  
  
"Ask me, who I was," replied the specter.  
  
"Who were you, then?"  
  
"In life, I was your business partner, Marik Marley."  
  
"Can....you sit down?" asked Scrooge, with a doubtful look.  
  
"I can," responded Marley.  
  
"Then do so," said Seto. Marik sat down in the chair opposite of  
Scrooge, as if he always  
had.  
  
"You don't believe in me," said the ghost.  
  
"No," answered Scrooge, with his famous icy voice.  
  
"Why do you doubt your own senses?"  
  
"Because," snapped Seto. "Every little thing affects them. A slight  
stomach ache. You  
may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of  
cheese, a piece of  
undercooked potato. There is more gravy to grave than you, whatever  
you are!"  
  
Seto Scrooge was not one for jokes. He only resorted to humor to  
desperately try to  
convince himself that he wasn't seeing what he was seeing. He needed  
to control his  
terror, for this ghost scared him to the very marrow of his bones. He  
felt that if he looked  
at those dead eyes any longer, he would go insane.  
  
"You see this toothpick," Seto continued. Marik nodded. "All I have  
to is swallow it.  
Then, for the rest of the week I would be persecuted by a legion of  
demons, all of my own  
creation. Humbug!"  
  
Marik Marley let out a frightful cry while shaking his chains. The  
sound was dismal and  
appalling, and deafening. Seto Scrooge held onto his chair for dear  
life. His face was  
blank with the horror he was living.  
  
"Mercy!" begged Seto. "Dreadful apparition, why do you trouble me?"  
  
"Do you believe me or not?" asked Marley.  
  
"I do!" cried Scrooge. "But why do ghosts walk the earth. And why do  
you came to  
me?"  
  
"It is required," said Marik. "That every person walk abroad with his  
fellow humans. If  
that person does not do you in life, then that person does it in  
death. I am doomed to  
wonder the world, witness what I cannot share, agonize over happiness  
that is not mine!"  
  
"What is with the chains?" asked Seto.  
  
"I wear the chain I made in life," replied Marley. "I made it, link  
by link, yard by yard. I  
made it of my own free-will, and wore it of my own free will. Does  
this seem strange to  
you?" Scrooge did not reply, he just sat there shaking. "You know  
the length and weight  
of this coil. Yours was this full and heavy seven years ago! And you  
have added to it  
since! It is a heavy chain!"  
  
Seto Scrooge glanced frantically at the floor, as if any minute he  
expected a chain to appear around his own body. He saw nothing,  
though.  
  
"Marik!" cried Scrooge. "Tell me no more! Give me a word of  
comfort!"  
  
"I have none to give," Marley replied in a voice as cold as Scrooge's.  
"Comfort is not my  
job. I cannot remain here much longer. I am doomed to wander, for in  
life my spirit never went beyond the counting house door. Remember  
that! My heart never left that money changing hole. And now, a  
lengthy journey is before me."  
  
"But you were always a good man of business, Marik," said Seto.  
  
"Business!" cried Marik Marley. "Mankind was my business. The common  
welfare was my business; charity, mercy, generosity, compassion,  
kindness, and benevolence were all my business!" He clutched his  
chain in grief. "And it is this time of year I suffer most! Why did  
I not bless my fellow human beings in the true spirit of Christmas!?"  
Scrooge was very disturbed by his former partner's rantings, but was  
to afraid to stop them. "Hear me! My time is gone!"  
  
"I will!" promised Scrooge. "But don't be hard on me! Just tell me,  
Marik!"  
  
"I am here tonight to warn you," said Marik "You have a chance and a  
hope of escaping my fate!"  
  
"You were always a good friend to me, Marik," said Seto with a nervous  
smile.  
  
"You will be haunted, by three spirits," said Marley. Scrooge's face  
fell.  
  
"Is that really necessary?" asked Scrooge.  
  
"It is."  
  
"I'd rather not."  
  
"Without their visits," snapped Marik, "you cannot hope of escaping  
your fate! The first  
will arrive when the clock strikes one. The second will come tomorrow  
at the same hour. The last will come the next night at midnight!"  
  
"Can't I have them all at once and get over with it?" pleaded Scrooge.  
  
"You will see me no more," said Marik. "But do not forget what  
happened tonight." With  
these final words Marik Marley rose and walked to the window. The  
window opened before him, even though he did not touch it. With the  
winter wind he blew out into the street. Seto Scrooge raced over and  
looked out. There was nothing but swirling snow drifts. Not even an  
impact mark where Marik may have hit. Seto shut and locked the  
window.  
  
"Humbug!" he spat before collapsing in his bed, exhausted emotional,  
mentally, and physically.  
  
Joe: Thank the Lord the first chapter is done!  
  
Marik: I am glad I had a small part. But I am leaving while I still  
can. *Runs.*  
  
Seto: Gema! I am going to feed you to my Blue-Eyes!  
  
Gema J. Gall: No you aren't. I control the keyboard, remember. But  
during chapters, I  
am going to get more cocoa! *leaves.*  
  
Seto: Alpha!  
  
E-100 Alpha: What?  
  
Joe: We need your help!  
  
E-100 Alpha: I don't know, Gema may hurt me.  
  
Seto: *grabs Alpha by his shirt* I DON'T care! Get POF! We need the  
to get control of Gema.  
  
E-100 Alpha: OK, OK. But you have a big romance scene coming up.  
*Joe and Seto sweat-drop.*  
  
**************************************************************************** **** 


	2. The Ghost of Christmas Past

Gema: Joy! Next chapter! And I have a chocolate chip cookie as well.  
  
Seto: Someone, help!  
  
Gema: Where is everyone else?  
  
Seto: They are all hiding.  
  
Gema: They can't do that! I am not done with them! *runs to find the rest of the cast*  
  
Seto: Hurry, Alpha!  
  
When Seto Scrooge woke up it was so dark that he could not tell the difference between the shadows on his walls and the shadows coming in from the window Marik Marley had exited from. He was so disoriented in the darkness that he tried with all his sense to hone in on one point of reality. A church bell chimed the hour. Scrooge counted the rings.  
  
Much to his surprise the bell did not stop at two or three, or even four or five. It kept going until the twelfth chime, then fell silent. Seto gaped, it had been past two when he had fallen asleep Christmas Eve! It had to be a malfunction. He glanced to hid bedside clock. His eyes had adjust enough to see that it read twelve.  
  
"It isn't possible!" Seto gaped. "There is no way that I slept through a whole day and into the night. And it isn't possible for this to be noon and something to have happened to the sun!" But the idea startled him so much that he raced to the window, just to be sure. It was so cold that it took a second for Scrooge to scrape the frost off. But all he saw was the same vacant, snowy street that he had seen when he went to see where Marley had went.  
  
"Humbug!" snapped Scrooge and he went to bed again. The more he thought about his current situation, the more confused he got. He tried not to think, but the more he tried, the more he thought.  
  
The visit from Marik's ghost had exceedingly bother him. He kept trying to convince himself that it was a dream, but his restless mind refused to accept that explanation. Seto Scrooge laid on his bed for three more chimes of the bell, a quarter til. He remembered Marley's promise and listened with nervous anticipation for the one'o'clock bell. Time drug on slowly.  
  
Ding! His bedside clock rang. And then there was silence.  
  
"There is the hour," smirked Seto. "And there is nothing." But as the words were out of his mouth that church bell rang one solitary note.  
  
Light flashed around his room. His bed curtains were pulled apart. Not all of the curtains, just the ones on the side he was facing. Seto found himself face to face with the apparition who had drawn the curtains. The specter was at his elbow.  
  
She appeared to be a child, but had the bearings of one much wiser. Unnatural light reflected off of her face. She wore pure white, shining the purest white light to the dark corners of the miser's bed chamber. She held a single spring of holly in her hand, a winter emblem. On her brown hair sat a thin, golden tiara.  
  
(Seto: Looks like it is your turn, Tea.)  
  
(Tea: Thanks! Who spiked Gema's eggnog?)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: It is not eggnog! It is hot cocoa.)  
  
(Seto: Nice baptismal gown, Tea.)  
  
(Tea: Nice pajamas, Kaiba.)  
  
(Seto: Grrr, you are paying for this, Gema!)  
  
(Gema: Wait until after your love seen!)  
  
(Seto: What?!)  
  
"Are you the spirit whose coming was foretold to me?" asked Seto Scrooge in a shake voice.  
  
"I am," answered Tea the spirit. Her voice was gentle and soft. It had the quality of an echo, as if it was echoing across time and space.  
  
"Who.....what, are you?" asked Seto.  
  
"I am the Ghost of Christmas Past."  
  
"Long past?" asked Scrooge.  
  
"No, your past."  
  
"What brings you here?"  
  
"Your welfare."  
  
"Thanks, but I think a good night's sleep would be more helpful," replied Seto, wanting to get back to a normal life.  
  
"Then your redemption, then," replied Past. "Take heed!" Tea the spirit took him by the hand and gentle pulled him to his feet. "Rise and walk with me!"  
  
Seto tried to plead about bad weather, the clothing he was wearing, and how much he wanted to stay in bed, but the words got caught in his throat. He did not resist her gentle tug. He rose and followed her to the window. The windows opened, much like they did for Marley. Seto gasped.  
  
"I am mortal, and liable to fall," he told her.  
  
"Hold my hand," said Past "and you will be upheld."  
  
As she finished speaking Scrooge's bedroom melted away. He found himself with Tea the spirit over open country. A forest was spotted off in the distance. The cold and fog and vanished, replaced by a cold, crisp winter day. Think fluffy white snow covered the ground.  
  
(Seto: Great! I am stuck in this psycho's story, and Tea had magical powers!)  
  
(Tea: Be glad Joe is already Cratchit. Can you imagine him with any powers!)  
  
"Good heavens!" gasped Seto Scrooge as he recognized the place. "I grew up here! I was a boy here!"  
  
Past looked at him with gentle amusement. Scrooge was overcome with memories. Of sounds and tastes and smells from his childhood. Memories of hopes, fears, joys, and dreams that he had long since forgotten.  
  
"Your lip is trembling," Past pointed out. "Do you remember this place?"  
  
"Remember it! I could walk it blindfolded!"  
  
"Strange that you forgot about it for so many years," commented Tea the spirit. "Let's continue." They landed lightly in the school yard.  
  
Scrooge recognized every gate, post, and tree. He recognized the distant town; the market place, the church, the river. Several boys riding ponies trotted by. Seto recognized every one of them.  
  
"Rex, Weevil!" he called. "Roba, Mako! They are all here!"  
  
(Seto: Sure, those jerks only get their name mentioned! I am her favorite character, and she TORTURES me!)  
  
(Gema: I gave you the biggest part, why are you complaining!)  
  
"These are but shadows of the past," said the spirit. "They have no consciousness of us."  
  
For being so hard-hearted towards Christmas, the air of his youth seemed to have melted some of the ice around his heart.  
  
"The school is not quite deserted," said Past as she caught Scrooge's attention again. "A solitary child, neglected by his friends, remains there still."  
  
"I know," answered Scrooge, his spirits falling. They approached the school house. It was red brick with a black weather vane. The window sills were white, and need a coat of paint. It was an ancient building.  
  
They entered. The floors and walls were bear. The atmosphere was melancholy compared to the joy outside. Several plain tables ran across the room. A lone boy sat at one, a pile of books to his left. He sat close to the small fire that warmed the room. Seto was shaken to see himself, only much younger, in this neglected spot. It was silent. Past touched Scrooge's arm and pointed back to the boy, especially the books he was reading.  
  
"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves!" he exclaimed as he remembered the titles. "Aladdin, and Lord of the Rings! Oh, my and even Canterbury Tales! I loved everyone of those books! Treasure Island, Robin Crusoe, Wind in the Willow, too!"  
  
(Joe: What, no computer manuals?)  
  
(Seto: Tell the dog to go back to his dog house.)  
  
A strange look feel across Seto Scrooge's face.  
  
"What is it?" asked Past.  
  
"Nothing...." he muttered. "There was just this little boy..... a caroler.... I should have given him something. But it is too late now...." Tea the spirit smiled mysteriously.  
  
(Martin: Finally, someone wants to be nice to someone!)  
  
(Shayla: Leave Martin alone!)  
  
(Gema: Don't worry, I am done with him until the last chapter. You I have more immediate plans for!)  
  
(Shayla: You wouldn't be mean to your own character, would you? *Gema smiles and holds her hot cocoa.*)  
  
(Drake: I am glad we aren't her characters!)  
  
(Lara: Why? She is going to be even worse to us.)  
  
(Drake: Where is Alpha!? Help!)  
  
(Lara: Where is Alpha?)  
  
(Seto: Where is POF? We need them!)  
  
(Joe: Hurry, Alpha!)  
  
"Let us see another Christmas," said Tea. As Seto watched the school house aged. It became a little darker and a little dirtier. A window cracked, and plaster fell from the ceiling. Scrooge watched himself age several years as well. And, for another Christmas, Seto was the only one left in the school house.  
  
He was not reading this year, but pacing in despair. Seto shook his head as he saw this. He looked at Past, the to the floor. But then the sound of a door opening caught his ear. A young girl had entered. She darted in and embraced young Seto.  
  
"Brother!" the black haired girl exclaimed. "I have come to bring you home!"  
  
"Home, little Isis Fan?" asked Seto.  
  
(Seto: Oh, no!)  
  
(Bakura: Another one.)  
  
(Tea: Someone needs to stop Gema before she gets any more of us!)  
  
(Isis: We don't even look alike! How can you make me his sister?!)  
  
(Gema: Hot cocoa and cookie good!)  
  
(Seto: It was the eggnog....)  
  
(Gema: NO EGGNOG! Cocoa!)  
  
(Drake: How many cups has she had?)  
  
(Shayla: Five. By my count.)  
  
(Marik: But they are double cups.)  
  
(Shadi: We are all in trouble.)  
  
(Gema: I wonder if chocolate shavings would work in hot cocoa? I still have a bunny from Easter, I am going to find out!)  
  
(All: Help! Someone! POF, Alpha, ANYONE!)  
  
"Yes!" exclaimed Isis Fan. "I am taking you home! Home for good! Father is so much kinder than he used to be. Home is like heaven! He spoke to me so gentle the other night before I went to bed that I had to ask one more time if you could come home, and he said 'yes.' He sent me on a sleigh to come and get you. You are coming home, and we will be together for Christmas! This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"  
  
"Quite the woman, Isis Fan!" smiled young Seto. It was a genuine, bright smile. Isis smiled back and tried to reach his face to kiss him, but she was too little. So she stood on her tiptoes and embraced him. Then she grabbed his hand and eagerly puled him to the door. The school master, Solomon Motuo had just finished putting Scrooge's trunk in the sleigh when they burst out of the school room.  
  
"She always seemed so frail," muttered Past as she watched Isis Fan. "But she had a large heart!"  
  
"She did," agreed Seto Scrooge. "I will not deny it. God rest her soul!"  
  
"She died," muttered Tea the spirit. "And I think she had children."  
  
"One child," correct Seto.  
  
"Your nephew."  
  
"Yes...."  
  
(Isis: One minute! I am NOT Mokuba's mother!)  
  
(Seto: This has got to stop! You have my in pajamas!)  
  
(Tea: I am glowing like the Statue of Liberty!)  
  
(Mokuba: I do NOT have a wife! I can't believe you.....*Gema puts a marshmallow into his mouth to keep him from spoiling the plot. Then she puts three in her hot cocoa and eats five more.*)  
  
(Isis: I am already dead, great! I think I am going to join Marik. This is insane, someone needs to stop her, but at least my part is over.)  
  
(Gema: I have the keyboard! I am in control! *Laughs evilly.*)  
  
In an instant the school yard vanished. They were now in a building. Shadowy figures walked past the frosted windows. A gentleman sat at a high desk in the back of the room. It was so high that he may have hit his head on the ceiling if were to jump.  
  
"Do you know this place?" asked Past.  
  
"Know it! I was apprenticed here!" exclaimed Seto. "That is old Drake Fezziwig!"  
  
(Drake: WHAT! What did you! I mean! Grrr! Fezziwig!)  
  
(Seto: Welcome to my nightmare.)  
  
(Drake: What kind of name is Fezziwig! *grumble.*)  
  
Drake Fezziwig looked at his clock and put down his pen. "Seto! Keith!"  
  
"Keith Wilkins, oh my!" exclaimed Scrooge. "To see him again...... Poor Keith, he never had the heart for business."  
  
(Seto: She put Bandit Keith in this?!)  
  
(Bandit Keith: What happened? I was eating Christmas dinner and suddenly I am in the middle of this, what is it?)  
  
(Gema: I was drinking hot cocoa and had this great idea! Welcome to the Yu- Gi-Oh! Christmas Carol. You are a last minute filler.)  
  
(Tea: Help! She has gone insane!)  
  
(Bandit Keith: Are you sure she wasn't drinking the eggnog?)  
  
(Gema J. Gall: NOT EGGNOG! Hot cocoa......needs cinnamon.....)  
  
(Drake: You made me Fezziwig! I am getting my dragons!)  
  
"Boys!" called Drake Fezziwig. "No more work tonight! It is Christmas Eve! Set up for the party!" Keith and Seto raced around the room. Preparations were finished in no time. They were breathing hard in the end, but the results were well worth it. The floor was clean and the mood was bright. Garland and holly hung from the ceiling. It was cold outside, but the roaring fire kept it out.  
  
The guest entered. First was a fiddler, who played as well as an entire band. Then came Mrs. Lara Fezziwig and her daughters. Several other men and women employees also entered the great hall. Also, there was a housemaid, her cousin, the baker (who brought samples), the milkman, and the cook (who also brought samples.) In the end there were twenty couples, not counting those to shy to dance or ask someone to dance.  
  
(Lara: I am Mrs. Fezziwig?!)  
  
(Tea: Here we go again! Is my scene almost over?)  
  
(Bandit Keith: This is not fair!)  
  
(Lara: At least we are married, Drake. *Drake turns fifteen shades of red.*)  
  
There was dancing and food, and much laughing. Keith joined hands with one of the Fezziwig girls and tore up the floor. Even Drake and Lara Fezziwig danced, and they were good. The fiddler was panting and red-faced, but it was a proud red-face. Seto Scrooge stood off to the side, to shy to participate. That was, until a beautiful girl caught his eye. She, too, was standing alone, looking at the dancers. She looked like she wanted to dance, but was to shy to enter the floor. Seto summoned his courage and approached her. She wore a lovely red dress with holly tied to the bows. It matched perfectly with her curly dark brown hair.  
  
"Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?" asked Seto Scrooge.  
  
"I am Shayla Belle," the girl answered, looking at him with her melted chocolate eyes.  
  
(Seto: What the?!)  
  
(Shayla: How dare you?!)  
  
(Gema: Melted chocolate eyes.....like hot cocoa. And now, for a brief commercial break. Shayla stars in Shayla's Story, my Yu-Gi-Oh! fan fiction. Read it! And now, back to my hot cocoa!)  
  
"I am Seto Scrooge," he introduced himself. "Um.... would you like to dance?"  
  
"Sure!" Shayla smiled and agreed. They twirled onto the dance floor. The elder Fezziwigs exchanged glances. It appeared that the turtle had finally came out of his shell. Shayla Belle and Seto Scrooge soon got lost in each other's conversations. They laughed and danced the night away.  
  
(Drake: I still can't believe she made me Fezziwig!)  
  
(Lara: But she was courteous enough to make us the married couple. Is that mistletoe? *Drake looks up as Lara gives him a Christmas kiss. Drake turns about fifty shades of red.*)  
  
The party went well over midnight. Finally Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig ushered the guests out. They made sure to thanks each one, shake his or her hand, and wish them a merry Christmas as he or she left. Keith and Seto retired to the back of the shop, where their beds were. Scrooge's last thoughts were of the wonderful girl he had met and if he would ever see her again.  
  
(Seto and Shayla: WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!)  
  
(Gema: Are you sure about that? Time changes things.... *Laughs very, very evilly.*)  
  
(Seto: I thought I was afraid before, now I am terrified.)  
  
(Shayla: Nice pajamas. *snicker.*)  
  
(Seto: Grrrr, Gema!)  
  
(Tea: I am getting sick of being a flashlight, can we hurry this up?!)  
  
(Lara: That wasn't so bad, we are done now, yay!)  
  
(Drake: *still blushing with lip prints on his cheek* Great.)  
  
"A small matter," said Tea the spirit, " to make these silly folk so happy."  
  
"Small...." muttered Seto Scrooge in dreamy haze. He had remembered every moment of this party. He had relived this memory, and had enjoyed it.  
  
"Is it not? He had spent a few dollars of his mortal money, thirty or forty, perhaps. That deserves a commendation for spreading so much joy," said Past.  
  
"That isn't it...." muttered Scrooge with some hesitation. "That isn't it. Drake Fezziwig had the power to make us happy or unhappy, to make our work light or heavy, pleasure or toil. His power lied in words and looks, in things so slight and insignificant that they are impossible to count. The happiness he gave us had to cost a fortune." Past stopped his reflections with a glance.  
  
"What is the matter?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing...." replied Scrooge.  
  
"There is something," insisted Past.  
  
"No," muttered Seto, "It's....I would just like to say a word or two to my clerk now, that is all.  
  
"My time grows short!" said Past. "Quick!"  
  
(Tea: Thank goodness I am almost done!)  
  
(Shayla: I agree, I am glad I don't have to worry any more.)  
  
(Gema: Oh, I ain't done with you yet! *Laughs evilly.*)  
  
The spirit's words had immediate effect. Scrooge saw his past self again, he was older now, in his prime. He did not have the harsh look of his later years, but the beginnings of care and avarice were showing. There was a restless motion about him. This seemed to build tension for a moment to come.  
  
Her was not alone in the room. Shayla Belle sat with him. Her dress was no longer bright and happy, but a sad forest green. Her deep brown eyes were full of tears. These tears glistened in the light coming from Past.  
  
(Seto: I don't like where this is heading.)  
  
(Shayla: Neither do I, RUN!)  
  
(Gema: You can't escape. I have the keyboard!)  
  
(Seto: *grumble* Alpha had better get back here with POF.)  
  
"I matter so little to you," Shayla sobbed. "So very little. Another idol has displaced me, and that idol can cheer you and comfort you in the times to come. I have tried to, but it only leads to grief."  
  
"What idol has displaced you?" asked young Scrooge.  
  
"A golden one."  
  
"It is just business," he protested. "Poverty is hard, it has no greater strength than to condemn the wealthy!"  
  
"You fear the world too much," Shayla Belle said. "All your hopes have become a desire for the impossible. I have seen your noble qualities fall, one by one, Seto. The only thing you care about now is gain."  
  
"So what?" he retorted. "I have grown wiser, but my feelings have not changed towards you." Shayla Belle shook her head. "Have they?"  
  
"Our love is an old one," she said, more tears flowing. "We feel in love when we were both poor, but we were happy then. You have changed. When you got money, you became another man."  
  
"I was young then," he protested.  
  
"Your own heart tells you that you were not what you once were," replied Shayla Belle. "The same heart that once promised happiness now delivers misery. I have wanted to say this for so long, but it hurts so much. I release you." She took a ring off of her finger and set it on an end table.  
  
(Shayla: Stop right there! Did you just make me engaged to Seto Kaiba!!!!!)  
  
(Seto: You are twisted! This has gone far enough! *evil laughing and typing heard from far away.*)  
  
"Have I ever asked to end the engagement?" asked Seto Scrooge.  
  
"With words, no," replied Shayla Belle.  
  
"Then why do you seek to end it?"  
  
"Your changed nature, your altered spirit, your new way of life..... I had hope that it would end.... Do you value my love at all? Tell me, do you love me now?" asked Shayla. She looked straight into his eyes, and Seto knew there was no way of dodging the question.  
  
"You think I don't," he stammered, trying to stall for time.  
  
"I wish I could think otherwise!" sobbed Shayla Belle. "But I want to know the truth. Tell me truthfully, would you marry this poor girl? Would you repent of your greed?" Seto did not have an answer, the truth was obvious. "That is why I release you. But I will always love the man you once were." Scrooge opened his mouth to say something, but she continued. "You always have the memory of our past together. May you be happy with the life you have chosen!" Shayla Belle could no longer control her tears. She raced out of the room, onto the snowy streets. That was the last time Seto Scrooge had ever seen her.  
  
"My time grows short," said Tea the spirit, "But we have one more thing yet to see."  
  
(Tea: Only one more thing!)  
  
(Shayla: That was horrible! I am never doing that again!)  
  
(Gema: That is what you think!)  
  
(Drake: At least she didn't have you kiss him.)  
  
(Tea: I think Lara is looking for you, and she has mistletoe. *Drake blushes, no surprise.*)  
  
"No more!" cried Scrooge. "I cannot bear it! No more!"  
  
But the next scene came. The two were in a small church. The windows were brightly covered by stained glass. A large organ sat in a corner. The Christmas Eve crowd had just been dismissed by the pastor. People greeted one another and left to their homes for Christmas.  
  
"What is this place?" asked Scrooge. "I have not been here."  
  
"Watch," said Past simply.  
  
Much to his surprise, Seto Scrooge saw his clerk, Joe Cratchit leave from one of the seats in the back. He motioned for his children and wife to stay put and Joe walked up to the front of the sanctuary. A single lady was still sitting. Scrooge new there was something familiar about her, but he could not place her because he only saw the back of her head. The lady picked up a basket near her feet and rose. That was the same time Joe Cratchit reached her. He accidentally knocked the basket out of her hands.  
  
"I am sorry, Miss," he said as he helped pick up her things.  
  
"It was no fault of yours," she said as she went to help. Seto recognized the voice. She was Shayla Belle!  
  
"I just wanted to compliment you on your beautiful solo today," said Cratchit as he helped her to her feet. "You have the voice of an angel."  
  
"You are too kind," she smiled back. She reached down and began to grope for a stick that still laid in the pew.  
  
"Here," said Joe, handing it to her.  
  
"Thanks," she smiled back. Seto Scrooge gaped in horror. Her once brown eyes had been covered with a filmy white substance. She was blind!  
  
(Shayla: You had to add that part, didn't you!?)  
  
(Gema: Me have hot cocoa and I don't care! Me have hot cocoa and I don't care!)  
  
"Spirit, what happened?" asked Scrooge.  
  
"It was a fever," Past answered. "It nearly took her life. But she still has the heart for Christmas."  
  
"You do you sing so well, if you don't mind me asking, without being able to see the song book?" asked Joe.  
  
(Shayla: I do NOT sing!)  
  
(Seto: Tell everyone to keep Gema away from the eggnog.)  
  
(Gema: Doesn't matter. I don't drink eggnog. I drink hot cocoa!)  
  
(Tea: Who spiked her hot cocoa?)  
  
(Joe: This scene is not in the book! Why are you torturing us!?)  
  
(Gema: This isn't torture. The next chapter is torture!)  
  
"With a lot of memorization," laughed Shayla.  
  
"I am fairly new here," said Joe Cratchit. "Will you be back?"  
  
"I'll be here until the day I die," she smiled. "Merry Christmas!"  
  
"Merry Christmas!" he replied. "It feels so good to say that without my boss's evil eye."  
  
(Joe: At least Gema got one thing right.)  
  
"Who is your boss?" asked Shayla Belle.  
  
"You probably don't know him, but his name is Seto Scrooge," replied Joe. Shayla went suddenly serious.  
  
"I do know him," she replied, with a hint of nervousness. "How is he?"  
  
"Not good, I am afraid," muttered Joe. "His partner, Marik Marley, is on his death bed, and all Scrooge does is count money. It is so sad. At this merry time of year he hides in his counting house, not even willing to help his business partner." Shayla just stood there for a minute.  
  
"Well, Merry Christmas," said Joe as he walked back to his family.  
  
(Joe: Since when do I have a family?!)  
  
(Gema: Since now. Who they are will be revealed in the next chapter. *Laughs.*)  
  
"Spirit, no more!" begged Scrooge. "I cannot bear this!"  
  
"These are but shadows of things that had already happened," replied Past.  
  
"Take me back! Get me away from here! Haunt me no more!" he pleaded.  
  
The next thing Seto Scrooge realized was that he was surrounded by an intense light. The spirit began to glow brighter than a star. The shadows of the past dissolved. Scrooge was overcome with fatigue and slumped onto his bed, fast asleep.  
  
Tea: Thank the Lord! I am free! It is going to take me forever to get this glow in the dark paint out of my hair.  
  
Seto: Can I get into some decent clothing!?  
  
Gema: But Shayla thinks you look so cute in your night clothes. All you need is a pair of bunny slippers.  
  
Shayla: I do not!  
  
Seto: I am going to get you for that comment!  
  
Gema: I need more hot cocoa. *walks over to refreshment table.*  
  
Tristan: *who is hiding under the refreshment table* So far, so good. She hasn't found me yet. I only have to hide for three more chapters.  
  
Gema: Tristan! There you are! I have a big part for you coming up!  
  
Tristan: Um, sorry, I just um.... got drafted! I have to go!  
  
Gema: But I control the keyboard!  
  
Seto: Where is Alpha! We need POF! Someone needs to stop her!  
  
Mai: Seriously, she is about to OD on hot cocoa.  
  
Joe: Are you sure it wasn't the eggnog?  
  
Mai: What ever it is, I am sure someone spiked it.  
  
Tea: Well, I am done, I am going to go visit Isis and Marik in the graveyard.  
  
Gema: Next chapter, Ghost of Christmas Present and more hot cocoa!  
  
**************************************************************************** **** 


	3. The Ghost of Christmas Present

Gema: Chapter three! Yippee! And someone made chocolate coated candy canes! I am not sugar high, though!  
  
Seto: Now who are you going to torture?  
  
Gema: That will spoil it..... You of course!  
  
Seto: Great....  
  
Shayla: That is one less nightmare I have to deal with. I am joining Drake and Lara and hiding from you!  
  
Joe: I think Isis and Marik were lucky, being dead already!  
  
Gema: This is your big scene, Mr. Family Man!  
  
Joe: *gulps* Help!  
  
Seto: Complete with wife and kids......  
  
Gema: *Shoves marshmallow down his throat.* No spoilers!  
  
Tea: If that is how she treats her favorite, the rest of us don't stand a chance.  
  
Seto Scrooge woke from a deep sleep and tried to pull his thoughts together. The bell rang one as he awoke, not surprising him one bit. He looked nervously at his bed curtains, wondering what specter may pull them apart this time. Seto was determined not to be taken by surprise, this time.  
  
Five minutes passed, then ten. And yet, nothing came. Scrooge laid on his bed, nervously awaiting the unknown. At last the waiting became too much for him and he pulled the curtains apart, a hair. The room was dark, save for a light coming from under the door of the next room. A voice called his name and he obeyed.  
  
Seto Scrooge cautiously opened the door. He was shocked at what was on the other side. It was his room, no doubt, but it had been transformed. The walls and ceiling were ornamented with holly and garland. There was so much it made the place seem like a forest. Berries glistened in the cheery fire light. The floor was over flowing with every sort of Christmas dish imaginable; turkey, beef, ham, yams, beans, pudding, cake, pies, potatoes, goose, eggs, drinks, sausage, chestnuts, oysters, apples, oranges, breads, pears, candy canes, hot cocoa, eggnog, punch, wine, pop, vegetables, even some dishes from foreign lands. The air was think with their delicious aromas. The next spirit reclined on the couch, surrounded by all of the holiday cheer.  
  
"Come in, come," greeted Tristan the spirit.  
  
(Joe: Hey! Why does Tristan get the job with all of the food!)  
  
(Tristan: *grumbles* I look like a Santa Claus!)  
  
(Seto: I thought you were hiding.)  
  
(Tristan: Gema found me.....)  
  
(Gema: He was hiding under the hot cocoa!)  
  
"Come and know me better, man," greeted Tristan the spirit. Seto Scrooge did enter the room, but his head was hung low. "Look upon me, I am the Ghost of Christmas Present." Seto did, reluctantly.  
  
This spirit wore a green robe, what Santa Claus's would have looked like, had it been green instead of red. He was bare foot. On his head sat a wreath, that was lined with burning candles. An empty scabbard locked around his waist. He had a free, gentle face, sparkling eyes, cheery voice, unconstrained demeanor, and a joyful air. In his left hand he held a torch shaped like a cornucopia.  
  
"You have never seen me before!" said the spirit, neither accusingly or surprised.  
  
"Never," Seto Scrooge admitted.  
  
"Have you never walked with the younger members of my family? For I am the youngest, and yet, you do not know my elder brothers?" asked Present.  
  
"I don't think so," replied Scrooge. "I am afraid not. Have you many brothers?"  
  
"More than eighteen hundred."  
  
"A tremendous family to provide for....." muttered Seto Scrooge. "Take me where you will. I learn a lot the other night. Teach me what you will tonight."  
  
"Touch my robe!" The minute Scrooge did the decorations and feast disappeared. So did the room, fire, and shadowy night. They stood in the streets on Christmas morning. The weather was severe, causing those out to walk fast, but not in a rough way. A light music seemed to fill the air. A few were out shoveling. Others were sledding, getting into snowball fights, or heading home to Christmas feasts. Snow laid beautifully on trees. People greeted their neighbors cheerfully. A few food shops remained open, to help those last minute shoppers. Church bells rang, welcoming people to their services. The morning passed quickly into afternoon. The shops closed and people wandered into their homes. Smoke rose from chimneys as the Christmas meals were cooked. Present occasional stopped to sprinkle gifts or food with something from his torch.  
  
(Joe: Hold on a second! She got rid of all the food! No fair!)  
  
(Gema: There is always more hot cocoa!)  
  
"Why do you do that?" asked Scrooge at last.  
  
"It is the Spirit of Christmas, and it is freely given!" smiled Tristan the spirit.  
  
"But why?"  
  
"It is given kindly, it is a gift. And it is given to the poor most of all."  
  
"Why the poor?"  
  
"Because they need it the most!"  
  
"Spirit," muttered Seto with some thought. "I wonder.....Why would you harm these innocent people for a day's foolishness?"  
  
"What?!" exclaimed Present, clearly shocked.  
  
"You would have the spend for a feast one day, when there is not enough food for a week. You would have them take one day from work, to lose one day's wages. Forgive me if I am wrong, but isn't that what your family stands for?" asked Scrooge.  
  
"There are some on this earth," answered Present. "with hearts much like yours, who claim to know us. They do things in my family's name that is not from us. They are motivated by pride, ill will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness. These people are strangers to us, and to the real meaning of Christmas. Remember that!"  
  
"I will," agreed Scrooge.  
  
"Come!" smiled Tristan. He lead Scrooge to a small church. They entered. It took Scrooge a minute to place it, but he gasped when he did. It was the same church Past had taken him to, Shayla Belle's church! A service was being held. One voice rang through.  
  
"....And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over there flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that shall be to all people. Today in the town of David a Savior had been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign unto you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'" (Luke 2:8-14 NIV) Shayla Belle continued to recite the passage as the vision faded.  
  
(Shayla: It is about time someone put that in there!)  
  
(Joe: I don't know. It seems like something out of Charlie Brown ©!)  
  
"A true heart for Christmas, that one," smiled Tristan.  
  
"She is still here....." muttered Seto.  
  
"Come, there is much more to see!" urged Present. They stopped outside of a small house. "Does this place look familiar to you?"  
  
"No," admitted Seto.  
  
"You do not even recognize the home of your clerk, Joe Cratchit?" asked Present. Seto looked down bashfully.  
  
Inside Mrs. Mai Cratchit sat down in a simple white gown. She was braiding the hair of her youngest daughter, Belinda. Her oldest son, Duke, was watching a pot of potatoes, to make sure they did not boil over. Duke's clothing was to big for him, being his father's before.  
  
(Mai: I CANNOT believe this!)  
  
(Joe: I am not married to Mai!)  
  
(Duke Deblin: I am not the son of that puppy! How dare you?!)  
  
(Tea: But I bet Joe wishes Mai was his wife. *snickers.*)  
  
(Lara: Mai, you can borrow my mistletoe. *snickers.*)  
  
(Duke: I have three episodes in the series. How is that reason for you putting me in this thing?!)  
  
(Joe: This has gone too far! Alpha!)  
  
"The goose smells so lovely, mother," smiled Belinda.  
  
"Martha is coming!" exclaimed Peter as he looked out the window. The oldest daughter entered.  
  
"That is great!" smiled Mai Cratchit. "Now, where is your father and Tiny Yu-Gi?"  
  
(Yu-Gi: That was low! I mean, completely unfair!)  
  
(Gema: Don't deny the truth. You have the perfect height for the part!)  
  
(Joe and Mai: We are not Yu-Gi's parents!)  
  
(Duke: I am not his brother!)  
  
(Yu-Gi: Mokuba would be better for Tiny Tim.)  
  
(Mokuba: It is your turn now! She gave me a wife! I cannot believe...... *has a marshmallow shoved in his mouth for almost giving away something.*  
  
(Gema: Quit complaining! This story is awesome, although it isn't as awesome as this hot cocoa!)  
  
"I am here," smiled Martha as she entered.  
  
"That you are," said Mai Cratchit as she kissed her eldest daughter. "Sit by the fire and get warm."  
  
"No, wait!" exclaimed Belinda. "Father is coming! Hide, Martha!" Martha did. She was out of sight just as Joe Cratchit entered with Tiny Yu-Gi. Joe was carrying Yu-Gi because his legs had been malformed and were supported by iron braces.  
  
(Yu-Gi: Great! This keeps getting better and better!)  
  
(Marik: At least you weren't killed before the story even began.)  
  
"Where is Martha?" asked Joe Cratchit as he looked around.  
  
"Not coming," answered Mai Cratchit.  
  
"Not coming!" cried Joe. "Not coming on Christmas day!" Martha did not like seeing her father so disappointed, so she came out of her hiding spot prematurely.  
  
"Here I am!" she smiled.  
  
"Martha!" cried Yu-Gi as he embraced his older sister.  
  
"Martha!" exclaimed Joe as he kissed her. Then he went to each of his children and kissed them to. The last one he visited was his wife. He lingered on that kiss, a little.  
  
(Joe and Mai: YUCK!)  
  
(Mai: This has gone far enough! That was wrong!)  
  
(Joe: *gag* I need mouthwash!)  
  
(Mai: Someone stop her!)  
  
(Seto: Looks like I get a break....)  
  
"How was Tiny Yu-Gi?" asked Mai Cratchit.  
  
"As good as gold," Joe Cratchit smiled back. "and better. Sometimes he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself so much. He thinks the strangest things you ever did hear. He told me, coming home, that he hoped everyone saw him because he was a cripple. He wanted them to remember, that on Christmas Day, Christ made the lame walk and the blind see." Joe seemed a little sad when he finished talking.  
  
(Shayla and Yu-Gi: Huff!)  
  
Tiny Yu-Gi was playing with Belinda on the floor. Joe put a hot cider mixture on the stove. Mai checked on the goose and Duke continued to watch the potatoes. Martha volunteered and set the table. Mai announced that the goose was done. There was such excitement at this announcement that one would have thought that the goose was the rarest of all birds. The bird was set in the middle of the table. The gravy was brought over. Duke began to vigorously mash the potatoes. The table was quickly set and they all sat down to their Christmas feast. The meal, though meager, filled the entire family. There was even some applesauce left over.  
  
Mai Cratchit brought out her special pudding. The children smiled and managed to fill themselves even more. When they were all done Joe Cratchit gathered them by the fireplace and passed out the cider he had made.  
  
"A Merry Christmas, family," he said with a smile. "And may God bless us!"  
  
"Merry Christmas!" the family echoes, beaming smiles. Tiny Yu-Gi took his father's hand. They looked at each other and smiled, but there was sadness in Joe's eyes.  
  
"Spirit," asked Scrooge. "tell me if Tiny Yu-Gi will live."  
  
"I see a vacant seat," replied Present "in the poor chimney corner, a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die."  
  
(Yu-Gi: What?!)  
  
(Duke: You can't kill him before I get a re-match!)  
  
(Joe: You can't kill Yu-Gi, he is the main character!)  
  
(Mai: Tell Isis and Marik that I said 'hi.')  
  
(Yu-Gi: Not funny!)  
  
(Gema: I have hot cocoa and I don't care! I have a cookie and I don't care! I have a candy cane and I don't care!)  
  
"No!" cried Seto Scrooge. "Tell me that he will be spared!"  
  
"If these shadows remain unaltered, none of my kin will find him here," said Tristan the spirit. "Then what? If he is going to die, he'd better do it quickly and decrease the surplus population." Seto was horrified to have his words repeated back to him in such a harsh manner. He hung his head in remorse.  
  
"If you have a true heart," said Tristan the spirit, "you would not say things like that. It is easy to reject the down-trodden, until you know who they are. Will you decide who shall live, and who shall die? It the eyes of Heaven maybe this poor child is more worthy to live than you!" Seto scrooge hung his head in shame.  
  
"Mr. Scrooge!" said Joe Cratchit, catching his ear. Joe held up his cup. "I'll give you Mr. Scrooge, the founder of the feast!"  
  
"The founder of the feast indeed!" snapped Mai Cratchit. "I wish he was here! I'd give him apiece of my mind to feast on, and I hope he has an appetite for it!"  
  
"My love," pleaded Joe. "Think of the children, it is Christmas!"  
  
(Joe: Mai, my love?! *gag.*)  
  
"Yes it is," agreed Mai. "It would have to be Christmas for one to drink to the health of such an odious, stingy, hard, poorly-dressed, unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge. Don't say he isn't, Joe, for you know he is! No body can know that better than you."  
  
"My dear," smiled Joe. "it's Christmas."  
  
"I'll drink to his health for you sake, and for Christmas," replied Mai Cratchit. "But certainly not for his sake! Long life to him! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! He'll be very merry and happy, I have no doubt!" She drank her cider and the kids followed suit. Tiny Yu-Gi was the last to finish. There was no denying it. Seto Scrooge was the ogre of the family. His very name cast a dark shadow onto them.  
  
(Seto: So I am an ogre now?!)  
  
(Gema: Metaphorically speaking. And don't look at me that way! Those are Dickens's exact words!)  
  
(Tristan: Is this scene over yet?)  
  
(Mai: Can you just kill of my character? I think I'd have more fun with Isis and Marik in the graveyard.)  
  
(Gema: You all need hot cocoa!)  
  
(Joe: Yeah right, that stuff is drugged!)  
  
(Seto: *mutters* Where is Alpha? How hard can it be to find POF?)  
  
The Cratchit family broke into song as Present pulled Seto away from the scene.  
  
"Where are we going now?" asked Seto.  
  
"Many places!" smiled Tristan the spirit. This was true. Present took Scrooge to see many celebrations of Christmas. Families greet relatives. Feast upon feast was prepared. The rich and the poor all celebrated the wonderful time of year. Laughter rang in the streets. From penthouse to poor house to boat to country to city everyone celebrated the blessed time of Christ's birth. Of all of these journeys I will not tell, for that would take too long. But there was one more stop that was of interest.  
  
"Ha, ha ha ha ha ha!" a very pleasant laugh caught Seto's ears. It was the laugh of his nephew, Mokuba.  
  
(Mokuba: Gema, you are going to suffer for this!)  
  
(Gema: This is your scene, Romeo. *snickers while holding her hot cocoa.*)  
  
"He actually said the Christmas was a humbug," laughed Mokuba. He was surrounded by his family; his wife and daughters, their boyfriends, his wife's sisters and their families. "he believed it, too!"  
  
"More pity to him," agreed Rebecca, Mokuba's wife and Scrooge's niece.  
  
(Rebecca: WHAT!!!!!!?????)  
  
(Yu-Gi: You mean Rebecca Hawkins?!)  
  
(Gema: Yep! *laughs evilly.*)  
  
(Mokuba: Now do you see why I want to hurt her?!)  
  
(Joe: I can't believe Rebecca even brought her teddy bear!)  
  
(Rebecca: That was not funny! None of this is! I don't want to be married to Mokuba!)  
  
(Gema: But think about it; you and Mokuba, Lara and Drake, as well as Mai and Joe can all go on couples retreats now!)  
  
(Seto: Tackle her!)  
  
(Gema: I control the keyboard, you can't hurt me!)  
  
(Tristan: We need back up!)  
  
"Is that my nephew's wife?" asked Seto Scrooge.  
  
"You never met her?" asked Present.  
  
"No," muttered Seto. Mokuba's wife was cute. She had a dimpled, capital face with ruby red lips that looked like they had just been kissed. When she laughed her eyes were as bright as a summer's day. A toy bear sat in her lap, adding to the innocence of her looks.  
  
(Rebecca: What was that?! Kissing?!)  
  
(Mokuba: Yuck!)  
  
(Lara: *snickers* I still have mistletoe. Where is Drake? I want to see if this plant works.)  
  
"He is a funny fellow," Mokuba continued to chuckle. "But, in truth, his own actions and choice are their own punishment. I have nothing to say against him."  
  
"I am sure he is very rich," said Rebecca. "At least, from what you told me, he has money to burn."  
  
"What good does it do him?" asked Mokuba. "His wealth is of no use to him. He doesn't do any good with it. He doesn't make himself comfortable with it. He doesn't even have the satisfaction of thinking that he is going to benefit from it!"  
  
(Mokuba: I don't even get half of what you are having me say?!)  
  
(Gema: Here is a candy cane, be happy.)  
  
"Well, I have no patience for him," retorted one of the ladies present.  
  
"Oh, but I do," smiled Mokuba. "I am sorry for him: I could not be angry with him if I tried. Who suffers by his rotten attitude? Himself, always. He got it in his head that he doesn't like us, and won't come to dinner. What is the consequence? He misses a great meal, that is what!"  
  
"Indeed, it was a great meal!" chimed Rebecca. "What do you think, sister?" She turned to another one of the ladies who floundered for an answer before turning red and trailing off.  
  
"I was going to say," continued Mokuba, "that the consequence of disliking us, and not being happy with us is only losing pleasant moments. And those do no harm. I am sure he has lots of fun in that office of his, or even in that dark, dingy hole he calls a house. I mean to give him the same chance every year, whether he likes it or not, for I pity him. He may complain about Christmas until he dies, but he can't help thinking better of it. I defy him! Every year he sees me merry and his veins bulge a little more. I shook him yesterday!" Mokuba burst into laughter at this moment. The entire room joined him. Soon the house was ringing with laughter.  
  
After their tea and dessert several people rose to their instruments. There was a fiddle and a fife. And Rebecca played the harp beautifully. The family sang carols for an hour, until hey were too tired to sing any more.  
  
(Rebecca: Since when do I play a harp?)  
  
(Shayla: Since I started to sing solos.)  
  
After music came games. They played twenty questions. One person thought of something. Everyone else had twenty questions to ask to figure out what the first person was thinking of. Everyone present played, whether old or young. Seto Scrooge found himself playing along. His voice was not even a whisper to the people. Scrooge was a sharp one. He would often have the answer before everyone else. But then Mokuba came up with one that stumped everyone.  
  
It was an animal, a live animal, a rather disagreeable animal, a savage animal, an animal that grunted and growled sometimes, and talked sometimes, it lived in London, and walked about the streets, and wasn't made a show of, and wasn't led by anybody, and didn't live in the menagerie, was never killed in market, and was not a horse, donkey, cow, bull, tiger, a dog, a pig, or a bear. With every question Mokuba burst into a fresh roar of laughter.  
  
"I know!" cried Rebecca. "I know what it is!"  
  
"Then what is it?" asked Mokuba.  
  
"Yes, what," encourage Seto, even though he was not heard.  
  
"It is your Uncle Scrooge!"  
  
"You are right! Completely right!" laughed Mokuba. "He has given us plenty of merriment, I am sure. It would be ungrateful not to drink to his health. Here is a glass, let us give him a toast! To Uncle Scrooge!"  
  
"To Uncle Scrooge!" agreed his family and the games continued as Present pulled Seto away from the scene.  
  
Present showed him many more families and many more celebrations. Some parties went long into the night. In fact, it was midnight when the spirit came to a stop. Present's hair had turned grey and he had taken on other signs of old age.  
  
(Tristan: She turned me into a geezer!?)  
  
(Rebecca: Welcome to our nightmare.)  
  
(Seto: Will someone just get rid of her hot cocoa!)  
  
(Gema: *from a distance* That is a great idea! Why did I not think of it earlier!? *laughs evilly.*)  
  
(Tristan: Guys, that is our cue to run!)  
  
"Are spirit's lives short?" asked Scrooge when he saw the condition of Present.  
  
"My life upon the globe is very brief," replied Present. "It ends tonight."  
  
"Tonight!"  
  
"Tonight, at midnight. The time is drawing near." The church bell began to toll. The spirit began to fade.  
  
"Where are you going? Don't leave me!" pleaded Scrooge.  
  
"I will not, not as long as you keep Christmas in your heart," replied Tristan. The bell had chimed eight more times.  
  
"But, where shall I go?" asked Seto. Present merely smiled and faded as the last bell struck.  
  
(Tristan: She killed me?! I am one of the ghost of Christmas and she killed me!?)  
  
(Isis: Party in the graveyard, bring a friend.)  
  
(Tea: That is not funny!)  
  
(Seto: Now what? I don't think it can get any worse than this!)  
  
(Gema: That is what you think! *Laughs evilly.*)  
  
Seto Scrooge looked around him for Present, but he was not to be found. The final vibrations faded and Scrooge remembered the predictions of Marik Marley. A think fog laced the ground. Seto lifted up his eyes and beheld a solemn phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, toward him.  
  
Gema: Yay! Only two more chapters. That means about five more cups of cocoa!  
  
Seto: No more cocoa for you!  
  
Joe: I still think she was in the eggnog.  
  
Gema: NOT EGGNOG! Cocoa!  
  
Mokuba: That last chapter was cruel and unusual punishment!  
  
Yu-Gi: That was uncalled for!  
  
Gema: I have the keyboard! And I have cocoa! I like cocoa! I like sugar! I have cookies! Complain all you want, but I am finishing this thing!  
  
All: Alpha! POF! Help!  
  
**************************************************************************** **** 


	4. The Ghost of Chritsmas Future

Gema J. Gall: Almost done! Yippee!  
  
Bakura: Will someone get her out of the eggnog?  
  
Gema: Not eggnog! I am so happy, because it is HOT COCOA!  
  
Seto: So what torture do you have planned for us, now? *Gema smiles evilly.*  
  
Tristan: If I remember right, this is the ghost of Christmas future, meaning Gema is going to have a lot of ways to torture you, like.....*Gema stuffs a marshmallow in his mouth to shut him up.*  
  
Tea: Is Yami going to be in this?  
  
Mai: Why do you want to know? It isn't like the two of you are a couple or anything, is it?  
  
Tea: *sweat-drops* No.....  
  
Joe: *to Seto* So, what was your brilliant plan for getting us out of this?  
  
Seto: POF. I sent Alpha to find them in the first chapter, and he hasn't come back.  
  
Mai: Smart boy. *Drake enters, his face is covered with lip prints. He is blushing.*  
  
Yu-Gi: What happened to you?  
  
Drake: Lara has mistletoe. *Everyone snickers.*  
  
Gema: I think I did it! The perfect cup of double hot cocoa! Marshmallows, chocolate shavings, cinnamon, whipped cream, double the chocolate with a side of double chocolate chunk, chocolate dipped, covered in whipped cream cookies!  
  
Seto: And she is typing!?  
  
Mai: Like is said, OD on chocolate.  
  
Gema: I am not hyper! Now, on with the story.  
  
All: RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!  
  
The final phantom slowly, gravely, silently, approached. When it came near him, Seto Scrooge bent down upon one knee, for in the very air through which the spirit moved, it seemed to scatter gloom and mystery.  
  
It was shrouded in a deep, black garment, which concealed its head, face, form, leaving nothing visible except for an outstretched hand. It was difficult to detach the figure from the night and separate its dark form from the darkness surrounding it. The spirit was tall and stately. Its mysterious presence filled Seto with solemn dread. The spirit did not speak a word.  
  
(Seto: Who is under that black bath robe?)  
  
(Pegasus: I am.)  
  
(Seto: What?! Do you actually expect me to be afraid of this psychopath! I am going to kill him for that stunt he pulled on the duelists kingdom!)  
  
(Pegasus: Isn't it enough that I have to be in this stupid story?)  
  
(Gema: *Shoves a marshmallow in his mouth* I gave you the silent role. Shut-up. No one wants to listen to you anyways.)  
  
(Seto: Can someone take those marshmallows away from her?)  
  
"Are you the Ghost of Christmas Future?" asked Seto. The spirit did not answer, but continued pointing. "You are going to show me shadows of things that have not happened, but will happen in the time before us? Am I correct in thinking this?"  
  
The hood bobbed slightly, and that was the only answer Scrooge received. Scrooge was so afraid of the figure that stood before him that his knees began to shake. The spirit looked at him, but no expression was visible.  
  
Seto tried to peer into the shadows of the black robe and make out the figure under them. But all he saw was more shadows and the outstretched hand, still pointing.  
  
"Ghost of the Future," cried Seto Scrooge. "I fear you more than any other specter I have seen. But, I hope your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to become a changed man. I am prepared to bear your company, thankful. Will you not speak to me?"  
  
Future did not reply. He just kept pointing before them.  
  
(Seto: Gema!)  
  
(Pegasus: I think I like this. Kaiba, trembling before me.)  
  
(Gema: Be quiet! Or do I have to use duct tape instead of marshmallows?)  
  
"Lead on," said Scrooge, "Lead on. The night is waning fast, and I know time is precious to you spirits. Lead on!"  
  
The phantom moved away as it had come towards him. Scrooge followed in its shadow. Seto seemed to be trapped in his wake, unable to flee if he even tried.  
  
(Seto: Don't say a word, Pegasus!)  
  
(Pegasus: Wasn't going to....)  
  
The scarcely seemed to enter the city. Is was more like the city formed around them. But, there the two were, standing in the heart of it. The local vendors that Scrooge had often seen were there, selling their wares. The spirit stopped near one knot of these businessmen so Seto could hear there conversation.  
  
"No," said the fattest one. "I don't know much about it either way. All I know is that he is dead.  
  
"When did he die?" asked a weasel-faced man.  
  
"Last night, I believe."  
  
"Why, what was the matter with him?" asked the third member, a red bearded man with a strong chin. "I thought he would never die."  
  
"I know," muttered the first.  
  
"What has he done with his money?" asked the weasel-faced man.  
  
"I haven't heard," said the third. "Left it to his company, perhaps. He hasn't left it to me, that is all I know." The group laughed. "It is likely to be a cheap funeral, for, upon my life, I do not know who would go. Suppose we go together?"  
  
"I wouldn't mind, as long as lunch is provided," said the weasel. Everyone laughed again.  
  
(Mai: That sounds like Joe!)  
  
(Joe: Hey!)  
  
"Well," said the first. "All I know is that I will not wear black, and I never eat lunch."  
  
(Joe: That sounds like Mai!)  
  
(Mai: Hey!)  
  
"I will go if anybody else will," the first continued. "I wasn't his friend. We hardly ever said 'hi' to each other."  
  
"Well, maybe not," muttered weasel. The group walked away and mixed with the other people in the square. Scrooge recognized each face, and looked to Future for an explanation. The spirit glided across the street and pointed to two other figures. Seto went to listen, think the answer might be with this new group.  
  
"I am glad he is gone," muttered the woman.  
  
"I can't say ill one way or the other," replied the man.  
  
"I thought he was ill, not dying," said the woman. "My debt to him was canceled!"  
  
"All very good," said the man and they parted. The spirit motioned Scrooge to another group of two.  
  
He knew these men, also, perfectly. They were men of business, very wealth, and had high social status. Seto had always tried to stay on their good side, for business reasons.  
  
"How are you?" asked the first.  
  
"Fine," returned the second. "So, Old Scratch has got his own, at last, hey?"  
  
"So I am told. Cold, isn't it?"  
  
"Makes sense, for Christmas. A good day."  
  
"And good day to you." They parted.  
  
Seto was first surprised that the spirit found such a trivial conversation so important. But, being haunted for so long, he figured there must be a hidden meaning, although he had no idea what that meaning might be. They couldn't have been talking about Marik Marley, because this was the future and not the past. Seto could not think of anyone else he knew that this conversation could apply to, either. Scrooge made a mental note not to forget the conversation, hoping it would have meaning later.  
  
The spirit continued to point. Seto involuntarily shuddered and complied. They left the business scene and went to an obscure part of town. This was a part of town that he had never been to before, although he recognized the area be its preceding bad reputation. The streets were foul and narrow, the shops and houses were dilapidated, the people drunk, slipshod, raggy, and ugly. It stank like a cesspool, reeked like crime, misery, and filth.  
  
Far into this section of town was a sleazy pawn shop. The floors and walls were covered with various knick-knacks, each with its own dark secret. They entered this shop, just as a woman with a heavy sack entered. She brought it to the man behind the counter. But before she made it there, another woman, with a similar sack entered. The two women recognized each other, but did not say a word. That was when a man, dressed in dirty black clothing entered. He knew the two ladies and they knew him, but not a word passed between them. The man behind the counter laughed, breaking the tension.  
  
"Let the char-woman be first," he declared to the first lady. "Then the laundress, and finally the under-taker's man. Look at the three of you, meeting here without meaning it! And you couldn't have picked a better place. Relax, none of you are strangers here!"  
  
"What is this worth?" asked the first lady, the char-woman. "Everyone has a right to take care of themselves. He always did."  
  
"True indeed," agreed the laundress. "And no man more so!"  
  
"Very well," agreed the first. "And what does he care what happens to his stuff, he is dead!" They laughed.  
  
"He would take them with him if he could," joked the laundress. "Why hadn't he been normal in his life? Then he would have had someone with him when he died, instead of gasping out his last minutes alone."  
  
"That is as true as it gets," said the under-taker's man. "And now judgment is on him!"  
  
"Can we get back to business?" asked the man, pushing his way forward. "What is this lot worth?" His plunder was not extensive. A seal or two, a pencil case, some cuff links, and a cheap brooch were all it consisted of. The pawn broker glanced over them and scribbled the total on a piece of paper.  
  
"That is all I will give for the lot," he replied. "I will not give a penny more. Who's next?"  
  
The laundress was next. In her sack were sheets and towels, a little bit of clothing, two silver teaspoons, a pair of tongs, and assorted boots. Her total was calculated as well.  
  
"I always give too much to the ladies," muttered the pawn broker. "It is a weakness of mine, and it will be my ruin. But don't ask for another penny!"  
  
"Now, how much is this worth?" asked the char-woman. She was bitter about being cut before. Her sack contained one roll of dark cloth and that was it.  
  
"What is this?" asked the pawn broker.  
  
"His bed curtains!" she replied, crossing her arms.  
  
"You don't mean you took them down, with him lying there and all!"  
  
"Yes, I do," she retorted stubbornly. "Why not?"  
  
(Mai: That is going too far!)  
  
(Gema: That is the story, like it or not!)  
  
(Tristan: I don't like it.)  
  
(Gema: Then have some hot cocoa.)  
  
"The blankets too?" asked the pawn broker as he unrolled the bed curtains.  
  
"It isn't like he is going to be cold, where he is going," she shot.  
  
"I hope he didn't die of anything contagious," muttered the laundress.  
  
"Don't worry about it," chided the first. "You won't find a hole or thread bare place in those clothing. And it would have been wasted, had it not been for me!"  
  
"What do you mean by wasted?" asked the under-taker's man.  
  
"Putting it on him to be buried in!" she exclaimed. "Somebody was stupid enough to do that, but I took them off again. Burials are what calico is good for."  
  
(Joe: Hot cocoa or no, that is sick!)  
  
(Gema: Tell that to Charles Dickens!)  
  
Seto Scrooge listen to them in horror and disgusted.  
  
"Isn't it ironic?" asked the laundress. "He frightened everyone away when he was alive, to make us profit when he died!" They laughed.  
  
"Spirit!" shuddered Seto. "I think I see. The case of this unhappy man might be my own. My life tends that way now. What is this?!" He recoiled in terror as the scene changed. He almost walked backwards into a bed. The bed was bare, and had no sheets on it. Something was laying on it. The room itself was to dark to identify anything in it. Scrooge looked to the phantom. Its hand pointed back to the cadaver. Scrooge felt pity for this man, who had no mourners, no family, no friends. He was just an unkept body whose possessions had been picked over by gutter trash.  
  
"Spirit!" cried Seto. "This is a fearful place. If we leave now, I will not forget the lesson. Trust me, just let me go!" But still Future pointed.  
  
"I understand you," begged Scrooge. "I would do it, if I could. But I have no powers." Future did not move. "If there was one person in this town that felt pity by this man's death, show me him, I beg!" The spirit drew his cloak like bat wings for a moment and the bedroom dissolved. They were in a different room, in daylight, with a mother and children.  
  
The mother was Mai Cratchit. Her children were sober and still as statues. Duke was reading in the corner. Mai was sewing with Martha and Belinda. But they were so quiet! Mai set her worked down and rubbed her eyes.  
  
"The color hurts my eyes," she muttered. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I have to be strong when your father gets home. He'll be home soon, right?"  
  
"He is a little late," replied Duke. "But, I think he has walked a little slower than he did before." It was silent again.  
  
"I remember," said Mai, to break the morbid silence. "I have know your father to walk very quickly when Tiny Yu-Gi was on his shoulder."  
  
(Yu-Gi: Here we go again....)  
  
(Gema: Quit interrupting! This is supposed to be the sad part!)  
  
"So have I," agreed Duke. "Often."  
  
(Duke: That is so sad! Poor Yu-Gi. *Begins to cry.*)  
  
(Gema: It is just a story..... Drink hot cocoa.)  
  
"So have I," agreed Martha.  
  
"But he was light to carry," muttered Mai Cratchit. "Your father loved Tiny Yu-Gi very much, there was no doubt of that. Here he is now!" Joe Cratchit had just entered through the door. Mai raced and embraced him. Then she escorted him into the house and gave him a cup of tea. His kids then surrounded him with hugs. He looked at his family and smiled.  
  
"Did you go there today?" asked Mai.  
  
"Yes, my dear," replied Joe. "You should have gone. It would have done you good to see how beautiful the place is. You'll see it soon enough, because I promised him we'd visit every Sunday. My little, little child." He broke down into tears.  
  
(Yu-Gi: What is going on?)  
  
(Marik: Don't you get it?)  
  
(Isis: This is the part in the story where they kill Tiny Tim.)  
  
(Yu-Gi: WHAT!?)  
  
(Marik: The graveyard isn't that bad. Besides, we will be having more company soon.)  
  
(Gema: Don't worry, drink cocoa! Don't worry drink cocoa!)  
  
(Seto: Alpha! Where are you?)  
  
(Pegasus: I thi.....)  
  
(Gema: *shoves another marshmallow in his mouth.* Don't talk!)  
  
The family drew close to the fire. Joe told of the kindness of Scrooge's nephew, Mokuba, who he had met the other day on the street. He mentioned that Mokuba was willing to help in any way he could.  
  
"He has a good soul!" remarked Mai.  
  
"Yes, you should have been there to speak with him," agreed Joe. "He even wants to take Duke as an apprentice." The family was delighted to hear this. But then they fell back into melancholia as they thought of their missing family member.  
  
"We must never forget Tiny Yu-Gi," Joe Cratchit said. "We should not fight among ourselves, Yu-Gi would not have liked that."  
  
"No, never, father," agreed the three kids.  
  
"I am very happy to be blessed with angels like you," he hugged his children. Mai kissed him, so did his daughters. The spirit of Tiny Yu-Gi was the child-like attitude Christ had mentioned.  
  
"Specter," said Seto as he watched the Cratchits with a heavy heart. "Something tells me that our parting moment is at hand. I know it, but I don't know how I know. Just answer me this, who was that dead man laying on the bed?  
  
The spirit brought him to a churchyard. Names were written on headstones, which were half covered by long grass. The entire place was over run by plants. It was a worthy place for the dead. Future stopped in front of one of the graves and pointed. Seto Scrooge approached it, trembling. He looked back at the spirit, but the apparition had not moved. Seto now saw the meaning of his form, a bringer of death.  
  
(Seto: At least she got that right about Pegasus.)  
  
"Before I look at it," said Seto, nervously. "Answer me one question. Are things shadows of things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be." But still Future pointed. "Life foreshadows certain ends, which they must lead to. But courses can be changed! Say it is possible!" Future was immobile as ever.  
  
Scrooge stepped closer to the tombstone, shaking. He traced the words with his finger. He read his own neglected name on that tombstone; Seto Scrooge.  
  
"Am I that man who laid on the bed?" he muttered in fear. He collapsed in remorse.  
  
The finger still pointed at the grave.  
  
"No, spirit! No! No! No!"  
  
The finger did not move.  
  
"Spirit!" begged Scrooge. "Hear me! I am not the man I was! I will not become that an in the grave! There must be a chance for me to change, or else you would have never shown me all of this!"  
  
The finger wavered.  
  
"Good spirit!" pleaded Scrooge. "If you have any pity, give me a chance to change these shadows! I promise I will live an altered life!"  
  
The hand trembled.  
  
"I will honor Christmas in my heart! I will keep it all year! I will live in the Past, Present, and Future. The spirits of all three shall live within me! I will not forget your lessons! Just let me change this future!"  
  
Holding his hands in prayer, Scrooge saw a change in the black robe. It shrunk and collapsed into a bed post.  
  
Gema: Yippee! Finally chapter! And more hot cocoa!  
  
Seto: I am going to hurt you for making me beg to Pegasus!  
  
Pegasus: Don't take it personally.  
  
Gema: Shut-up! *Throws the eggnog over his head.*  
  
Yu-Gi: So, I am not dead?  
  
Gema: Right!  
  
Tea: What a relief!  
  
Joe: I wouldn't want my best friend to be hurt!  
  
Tristan: Yu-Gi is your son, remember?  
  
Mai: Get him!  
  
**************************************************************************** **** 


	5. Change of Heart

Gema: I made it! Last chapter! And another cup of cocoa!  
  
Seto: The finish it already. Just...finish it and quit torturing me.  
  
Mokuba: I want a divorce!  
  
Rebecca: So do I. We are filing for one!  
  
Gema: You can't until the end of the story!  
  
Rebecca: You can't stop us! Can she?  
  
Mokuba: She controls the keyboard....  
  
Yes! The bedpost was Scrooge's own bedpost! The bed was his own, the room was his own. The best of all, he had the time to make amends!  
  
"I will live in the Past, Present, and Future!" he cried as he jumped out of bed. "The spirits of all three will live in me! Marik Marley, I thank you. On my knees I thank you!"  
  
He was so ecstatic with his good intentions that he could barely speak. He reached for his bed curtains.  
  
"They are not torn down! They are here, rings and all! Things will change! I know they will!"  
  
(Seto: Great! First I was a heartless nut, now I am a giddy nut!)  
  
(Gema: So you were drinking to hot cocoa, too?)  
  
He raced about his room, carefully examining every item, remembering it from the night before.  
  
"That was the door Marik entered! And that was the couch that the Ghost of Christmas Present sat on! And the window I exited with the Ghost of Christmas Past! It is al true! It all happened!" He let out a wonderful laugh for a man who had not laughed in years.  
  
"What is the day? What is the month? How long was I with them? I don't know, and I don't care!"  
  
(Joe: He has been drinking the same stuff Gema has been!)  
  
(Seto: Watch it, Chihuahua!)  
  
(Gema: I have hot cocoa and nothing else matters!)  
  
Running to the window, he opened it and stuck his head out. There was no fog or mist, just a bright winter day! The air was crisp and cold. It was beautiful!  
  
"What is today?" he called to a boy passing below. It happened to be the caroler from the other night.  
  
(Gema: Just when you thought you were free!)  
  
(Martin: Oh, great!)  
  
"What?" asked Martin.  
  
"What is today?"  
  
"Why, it is Christmas!"  
  
"Christmas!" cried Seto. "I haven't missed it! The spirits came in one night! Of course they can, they can do whatever they like! Boy!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you know the butcher down the street?"  
  
"I sure do!" smiled Martin.  
  
"An intelligent boy! Remarkable! Now, do you know if they have sold the prized turkey in the window? Not the little one, but the big one."  
  
"The one as big as me?"  
  
"Delightful boy!" exclaimed Scrooge. "Yes, that very one!"  
  
"It is hanging there, now!" smiled Martin.  
  
"It is?" said Scrooge. "Go and buy it!"  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
"Yes I am!" said Seto. "Buy it and bring it here! Then I will give them directions on where to take it. Come back with the man and I will give you a dollar. Come back with them in under five minutes and I will give you ten dollars!"  
  
Martin was gone like a rocket.  
  
"I will send it to Joe Cratchit's," said Seto, eagerly rubbing his hands together. "And I won't say who sent it. It is three times as big as Tiny Yu-Gi! It is going to be great!"  
  
With a hand shaking from excitement he wrote the address and eagerly waited by the door for the butcher's arrival. He smiled every time he looked at the old brass knocker.  
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Seto when he saw the bird. "You can't carry that thing. I will call for a cab." He smiled and laughed and paid for the turkey, the cab, and Martin.  
  
Then, Seto raced up the stairs and got dressed in his Sunday best. It was not easy, he was over flowing with joy. He raced out of the house and onto the streets. He greeted every person he passed, amazing many of them.  
  
He had not gone far, when, coming to him he saw the two gentle men who had entered his office the other day. His former actions made him feel guilty, but he saw determined to make amends, right here, right now.  
  
(Bakura: Here we go again!)  
  
(Shadi: Just when you think you are safe.)  
  
"My dear sir!" he smiled as he approached. "How do you do? Very well, I hope. Merry Christmas!"  
  
"Mr. Scrooge?!" gaped Bakura.  
  
"Yes, and I a sorry I was not pleasant to you the other day," he said. "Allow me to seek your pardon. Will you accept...." He whispered an amount of money in Shadi's ear.  
  
"Oh, my gosh!" cried Shadi. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Of course," he smiled. "And not a penny less."  
  
"I don't know what to say," stammered Shadi.  
  
"Then don't say anything," said Seto, as he strolled away.  
  
He had just entered his nephew's street when a small church caught his eye.  
  
"She said she would be here to the day she died...." he muttered. Seto Scrooge entered. The pews were full and the service had just started. There, sitting in the front row of the choir was Shayla Belle.  
  
Seto sat through the service, heard Shayla's recital of the passage in Luke. He waited impatiently for the end of the sermon. The congregation was dismissed and he fought against the flow to meet his lost love.  
  
(Seto: Grrrrr.....)  
  
(Shayla: You are going to live to regret this, Gema!)  
  
She was humming the chorus to The First Noel. Seto came up behind her and began to sing along.  
  
"Who is there?" she demanded.  
  
"And old friend," he replied. "One who is sorry for his past mistakes and wants to make amends."  
  
"I know that voice!" she gasped. "Seto...."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What are you doing here?!"  
  
"I have come to apologize. I am sorry I hurt you."  
  
"That was almost ten years ago."  
  
"I was a fool, Shayla. I threw away the only real thing in my life, you. I know that I may never regain your favor, but I have come to apologize."  
  
"I forgave you a long time ago," she said. "But why do you come to me now?"  
  
"I have changed," Seto replied. "I understand Christmas is more than personal gain. It is about others. That is why we celebrate, because the ultimate gift is Christ."  
  
"You have changed! Does it even matter that I am blind?"  
  
"I do not care that you are blind. I know I might have ruined any chance I have of you accepting me..... Are you doing anything for Christmas? Would you like to spend it with me and my family?"  
  
".....Yes, I would. Christmas is not a time to be alone."  
  
"You will?" he gaped.  
  
"Yes, I will," she muttered. She took his arm and he escorted her down the street to his nephew's house. Scrooge knocked on the door and a young girl answered it.  
  
"Excuse me," said Seto. "Is Mokuba home?"  
  
"Yes, he is."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"In the dining hall with his wife. Would you like to have me take you there?"  
  
"That is OK, he knows me," smiled Seto Scrooge. He entered the dining hall, escorting Shayla Belle.  
  
"Mokuba!" he exclaimed. Rebecca almost had a heart attack, right there.  
  
"Oh, my gosh! Is that!?" gasped Mokuba.  
  
"Yes, It is me, nephew, and I brought a friend. Is that OK?"  
  
"Why sure," agreed Mokuba.  
  
"I am still welcome to dinner, right?" asked Seto.  
  
"Welcome! Of course you are! Come in, sit down. And your lady friend too. Come in," greeted Mokuba. The day went so wonderfully that it would take much too much time to describe it here.  
  
The next day Scrooge was early in his office. He had planned to be there first, and catch Joe Cratchit coming in late. That was he had his heart set on. And he did. The clock struck nine and Joe was not there. Then it struck the quarter. But Joe did not show up until he was eighteen minutes late. Scrooge sat with his door wide open, ready to pounce.  
  
Joe raced in, his hat off before he came through the door.  
  
"What do you mean by coming in here at this time of day!" demanded Scrooge as his clerk sat down.  
  
"I am sorry," Joe apologized. "I am late."  
  
"You are, indeed," snapped Seto. "Come in here."  
  
"But it is only once a year," protested Joe. "It shall not be repeated. I got a little carried away last night."  
  
"Now," snapped Seto, trying to be as nasty as possible and keep a straight face. "I'll tell you what, my friend. I am not going to stand for this sort of thing any longer. And therefore!" He stepped off of his chair in an aggressive manner. Joe backed up in alarm. "And therefore, I am about to raise your salary!"  
  
Joe trembled for a second in terror. Then the impact of his boss's revelation dawned on him.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Joe," smiled Seto. "And a merrier Christmas for the rest of the year. I am going to raise your salary, then we will discuss aiding your struggling family. Build a nice fire before you get back to work!"  
  
Seto Scrooge was better than his word. He did all he said, and indefinitely more. To Tiny Yu-Gi, who did not die, he was a second father. He became a good friend, a good master, and a good man as any of the old city knew. Some people laughed when they saw the change in him, but Seto ignored them. He was wise enough to know that even the greatest met opposition. He married Shayla two years later, though both were past their prime. He never met with the spirits again, but he never forgot their lessons. In fact, he shared those lessons with all he met. He taught everyone how to keep Christmas well, as well as any man alive could. And so, as Tiny Yu-Gi observed, God Bless Us, Everyone!  
  
E-100 Alpha: I am back! I found POF!  
  
Seto: Great timing, the story is over!  
  
Gema: Then be happy. (Hard to believe I started and finished all of this in two days. It is 36 pages!)  
  
From all of us POF ( Gema J. Gall, E-100 Alpha, LadyAkhana, Moonlady, Star, DC Kantel, Joe Marusa, Fox Demon & Dark Fox, The Pharaohs Light and Dark, Imp is Insane, Demon of Shadows, Bakurakrazie, Perfect ARMs) and Yu-Gi-Oh! cast (Yu-Gi Motuo, Solomon Motou, Yami, Bakura Ryou, Joe Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, Tea Gardner, Seto Kaiba, Mokuba Kaiba, Bandit Keith, Isis, Shadi, Marik, Rebecca Hawkins, Rex Raptor, Weevil Underwood, Duke Deblin, ESP Roba, Maximillan Pegasus, Drake, Lara, Shayla, Martin) MERRY CHRISTMAS!  
  
The End 


End file.
